I *love* Eckhart Tolle. I discovered him years ago when I rented The Power of Now on audiobook. I bought the reprise, A New Earth, when it came out. Then, in 2007, I was thrilled to see Oprah share Eckhart and his ideas with millions of people around the world.
So, I'm a fan. A BIG fan. Thanks to Kathy Dannel Vitcak's blog post, I found out that ABC's "Nightline" did a profile piece about him last week (15Feb09). The video is available online here.
On the whole, I think it was a good interview, representing him well in the time allotted.
The part that has me surprised, bemused, confused, and even a bit angry, is Nightline's assertion that "some Christians say Tolle is dangerous."
This is the first I've heard that Eckhart Tolle is a threat to anyone. And I can't fathom how someone could truly feel threatened.
In the profile, the journalist claims, "Some Christians say his teachings are not compatible with the Bible. That he, aided and abetted by Oprah, is promoting the doctrines of demons." Huh???
Maybe this is just today's media trying to create a buzz for their story. Who are the "some Christians"; nobody specific was named or interviewed. And how many is "some"-- is it 3, 100, 1000, what? An image of a newspaper column with a demon-related headline was flashed on the screen, but what paper and who's claim is not clear.
See, Eckhart promotes no particular doctrines, those of demons or of any religion. He recognizes the truth at the core of all religions.
And, his teachings are not compatible with the Bible? With which passages of the Bible? People eating shellfish or pork are not compatible with the Bible either, but it's a generally accepted practice, even among Christians.
It's not true that Eckhart's ideas are incompatible with any of Christ's teachings, and to imply such with a broad comment about the Bible is simply sensationalism. Statements about "some Christians," "incompatible with the Bible," and "doctrines of demons" are attention-grabbing but journalistically very thin. I'm disappointed that Eckhart's profile included them.
If there really are people who believe his teachings are dangerous, I can imagine only that it has to do with keeping members of congregations in darkness and fear so that they will stay in the pews and keep feeding the church coffers.
Nothing else makes sense.
Gear List for Backpacking in the Summer
14 years ago
That is exactly what the ego tries to do.
ReplyDeleteBut if this is the true internal reaction you felt, I would say that it would be most prudent to see how that feeling "got" inside of you; how it grabbed your attention enough to merit your post here.
I'll say, you can surely post what you did from a state of non-reactivity; Through conscious use of your mind. Very possible. So only you will know if you internally reacted, or why.
Either way; at the moment, the reason does not matter so much for BEING in the moment; only if the pattern comes up again (so you can recognize it, and dissolve it)
Blessings in the present
Ryan
Thanks for the comment, Ryan. I appreciate the conscious grounding!
ReplyDeleteBlessed be,
Em
I marvel at how clear your writing is Em! Like a clear mountain stream.
ReplyDeleteRecommend adding "Share This" to your blogs to make it easy for people to share them, post to Facebook, email to friends, etc.
ReplyDeleteEckhart Tolle tells us to "live in the now". This is exactly what God's Word DOES NOT teach. If we only live for right now, we fail to look at what is coming in the future. How can we serve God by living for ourselves? We can't! Mr. Tolle is like all other cultists, he seeks to divert our attention away from God by relabeling religion. His method isn't new nor are his teachings. This is simply New Age Eastern muck that he is trying to re-invent. Don't buy into it, literally. Tolle also teaches that our egos have gotten in the way of enlightenment. Perhaps he should apply this to his enormous ego in that he obviously believes this junk he's spewing is going to help anyone. It will only serve to line his bank account with millions. Poor Eckhart. What humble little fellow he is.
ReplyDelete